Season's Greetings...

I will preface this by saying simply saying we have had a very difficult week or so, hence my lack of recent posts. We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now, but still have a way to go.

Anyhow... we are

Christmas this year is very much on the simpler side. We are not hosting it at our house for the first time in years, and I am a bit glad for the break! Instead, we will be visiting my mother-in-law, and that side of the family, at her home, on Tuesday. Christmas Eve will be at my mother's home, complete with a fabulous dinner, and Christmas Day will, as always, be at home, just for the four of us. The kids cut back on Christmas gift lists this year, quite a lot and of their own accord. And we are very glad that M is working neither Christmas Eve, nor Christmas Day. A little more traveling, but not much, and everyone seems satisfied with the plans.

What other plans do we have, and what have we been up to? Well, I had a lovely birthday yesterday. The rain stopped for a while, and we took advantage of it to head out to the coast with a picnic, and thermoses of hot tea, to watch the surf....

We ended a calm and pleasant day with Chinese food and Lord of the Rings Monopoly!

We've been reading a lot -- Kringle is very good so far -- playing a lot of card games, watching a few Christmas movies... the kids decorated the Christmas tree, and during a brief dry spell, The Boy climbed on the roof to hang up lights. I finished another semester of college, and signed up for spring classes. We haven't been homeschooling really, but The Boy has been practicing his German, and reading his physics book.

I have the next two weeks off from work. We plan to visit the cul-de-sac that is completely lit up, with music to match the light shows; maybe go see the final installment of The Hobbit; and The Boy would love to see The Maze Runner at the discount theater. The Girl and I are going to do actual volunteer work with three-week-old puppies for the first time tomorrow. I want to finish getting my home clean before the New Year. Today we are off to a Solstice celebration with our park day friends -- thankfully there is a large gazebo at the park in case of rain.

Please have a safe and happy holiday season!